The Unnamed Band
by Otulyn
Summary: Long, long ago. An imaginative legend of the Warrior Clans.
1. Chapter 1

Long ago, before the Clans existed, even StarClan, lived The Unnamed. They were a band of cats, with no name, though all grew to be noble, and spun the legends of the Clans.

Cats of the Band

Leader: Belltail- slim honey she-cat

Mother of Stormkit

Second-in-Command: Kindlefire- dark reddish-brown tortoiseshell tom

Apprentice: Duskpaw- slightly dark honey tabby tom

Healer: Sagecloud- pale brown tabby tom

Apprentice: Mintpaw- light gray tortoiseshell she-cat

Warriors: Jayflight- black tom with white muzzle and paws

Ebonyfeather- blue-black tom

Ivorysilk- pale gray she-cat

Apprentice: Starpaw- light honey she-cat

Fawnstep- light brown tabby she-cat

Apprentice: Tigerpaw- dark orange tabby tom

Fleetfoot- dark gray tom

Apprentice: Leopardpaw- light golden-brown tabby she-cat, dappled with black

Tawnysky- purple-gray, very pale honey, and light brown tortoiseshell she-cat

Swiftwind- light gray tabby tom

Apprentice: Oceanpaw- dark gray tom

Queens: Agonyheather- pale gray she-cat

Mother of Passionkit and Paradisekit

Goldenleaf- dark honey tortoiseshell she-cat

Mother of Birchkit

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Agonyheather sighed, and glanced down at her small kits, Passionkit and Paradisekit. Their father, Ebonyfeather padded into the nursery, and mewed, "We're leaving soon. There's nothing we can do about it."

Goldenleaf nearby yowled across, "I leave for the sake of my only kit," nodding down at a small bundle of fur.

Ivorysilk stuck her head in, and told them, "Belltail says it's time to leave. Let's go."

Agonyheather sighed again, and picked up Passionkit, while Ebonyfeather scooped up Paradisekit.

Ivorysilk nodded, and glanced at Goldenleaf. She had gently taken Birchkit in her jaws, and dipped her head to Ivorysilk. "Come on."

Ebonyfeather padded out sadly; Agonyheather following.

At the High Branch, there Belltail stood. Her proud, but only kit was next to her, young Stormkit.

Purrs of amusement rang out at the sight of Stormkit.

Belltail quickly checked that her band was there, and yowled, "We leave on the Great Journey!"

Silence. Almost no one wanted to leave. They would all miss the soft heather, warm mosses, the sweet flowers.

Ebonyfeather called out, "Let us go!"

"Yes, let us go!" "Let's go!" Meows rang across the clearing.

Fawnstep padded calmly forward up to Belltail. "For those who wish to stay?" She inquired softly.

Belltail nodded. "Those staying, go to the warrior's den. That is most spacious, and will serve you well. Prey has been stored. Leaf-bare is coming. I will not allow band members to starve."

Mousewhisker walked forward. "I alone am staying, Belltail." Bellstar was Mousewhisker's daughter. Everyone knew that.

Kindlefire, who was sitting on a stump nearby, mewed kindly to Mousewhisker, "She's a leader Mousewhisker. Belltail can't stay because of one cat, even if that cat is her father."

Duskpaw looked up at his mentor with pride. He had to speak up for the sake of his Clan. His sister, Starpaw watched with an adult-like stare. She was the sensible one, the beautiful one. He was the daredevil, the scruffy one. Oh well. Duskpaw turned his attention back to the branch.

Belltail nodded, her eyes full of anguish. "I must go Mousewhisker, father."

Mousewhisker just replied sadly, "Just don't have the same thing happen to your mother happen to you."

Jayflight yowled, "I avenged my father's death. I remembered what he died for, and that has kept me here, all these few years."

Sagecloud listened with wise ears. He knew that Jayflight had suffered, and what Kindlefire said was true, though family should never be separated.

Mintpaw was still a young apprentice; she fiddled with a strand of grass, and then kneaded the ground. This didn't seem important to her. She would know eventually.

Belltail's eyes widened. "Yes…. I won't let that happen to me."

Mousewhisker mewed, "I lost my mate. I won't lose my daughter."

Kindlefire interrupted, "We should be leaving!"

Mousewhisker's eyes blazed. "I lost my mate, my beautiful mate; so many of you knew her, Shysun. She was the light of my life."

Belltail's eyes glistened with unshed tears. "I know-." Her voice broke.

Fleetfoot, her mate, turned his head. He couldn't bear it when Belltail was so sad. Her pain was his pain. Her heart was his. And right now, their heart was shattering into a thousand pieces.

Mousewhisker looked at Fleetfoot among the throng of cats. "You take good care of her. You take good care of her."


	2. Chapter 2

"Alright, let's go." With one last sad glance at her father, Belltail raised her head and trotted out through the gorse tunnel.

"So, Tigerpaw, how do you like your mentor?" Starpaw asked tentatively, glancing at Tigerpaw.

"I'm fine." Tigerpaw snarled, feeling the usual rush of affection for Starpaw that he had grown to hide.

"Fine. Be like that. You know _no_ one likes you." _But I do._ Starpaw thought, and admired Tigerpaw's pelt for a moment, and then pranced off to her mother, Ivorysilk.

"Little one…." Ivorysilk purred to her daughter softly, gently licking her ear.

Tigerpaw hissed quietly, eyeing the heartfelt exchange between mother and daughter. _Jealousy._ He wanted Starpaw for his mate. But what about his history? Tigerpaw was known as a mean bully among the other apprentices. Starpaw would never accept him. He stared at Starpaw, and thought about his future.

Starpaw glanced at Tigerpaw. _He's staring at me!_ "What? Are you doing?" She demanded, padding over to Tigerpaw again.

_She's caught me!_ "Nothing, nothing." Tigerpaw growled, looking away.

"You _were_ looking at me." Starpaw stated.

"Whatever," Tigerpaw snapped, and lengthened his stride, coming up beside Swiftwind.

"So you like Starpaw huh?" Swiftwind meowed, his eyes still fixed forward.

"No, I don't!" Tigerpaw meowed angrily, then paused to think about denying the senior warrior's statement. "Well, maybe a little."

"Indeed. I remember when I had that feeling…. I was young and foolish then. She died, yes. Aurora, a sweet she-cat that lived with housefolk. Died, bearing my kit. Leopardpaw, no?" Swiftwind nodded at his daughter, who was laughing at something Mintpaw had said.

"I never mentioned that I would make Starpaw die!" Tigerpaw meowed defensively, feeling that this conversation was going in the wrong direction. "See you." He whirled around and padded beside his mentor, Fawnstep.

Starpaw cocked her head, thinking. "Hey Duskpaw!" She called to her brother, who waved his tail and slowed so he could walk beside his sister.

"Yeah? What do you want?" Duskpaw demanded, who had just been in the middle of a heated discussion about battle moves with Kindlefire, his mentor.

"Oh." Starpaw faltered, and shook her head.

"Well then, I'm leaving." Duskpaw hissed, and walked back to his mentor.

"Stop! We'll stay here for the night." Belltail called, sitting down in the middle of a small clearing. "Rest well, my band."


End file.
